Traveling the Tōkaidō

So why was our trip to Japan, in which we spent much of our time in transit between and around Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, a historically faithful experience? Back in the time of the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1868), a lot of people did a lot of expensive and time-consuming traveling back and forth between Tokyo and… Continue reading Traveling the Tōkaidō

Tokyo trains

(Dear reader, I promise sometime I will write a post that discusses something other than public transit or language. This is not that post.) Last week, during Sonja’s spring break from school, we took a trip to Japan. It meant that we missed Taiwan’s biggest earthquake in 25 years, which was both a relief and… Continue reading Tokyo trains

On Missing an Earthquake

At 7:58 am on Wednesday morning, a greater-than-7.0 earthquake hit Taiwan.  At 8:02 the first message came through my LINE account (instant-messaging app used in Taiwan) to a group of Fulbrighters: “Hi guys! Just checking in…earthquake just happened. Everyone ok?” In the hour or two afterward, dozens of messages. People checking in, sending photos of shattered… Continue reading On Missing an Earthquake

Fluency or bust!

Sometimes when I tell people that I teach Chinese history they will ask, “Can you speak Chinese?” Answer: yes; that’s one of the skills required to get a job like the one I have. But sometimes they will ask, “Are you fluent in Chinese?” And that question always gives me pause. It depends on what… Continue reading Fluency or bust!